Flowers in the Air
by she who laughs
Summary: This is the day when things will change. For months, Travis and Ray have been fighting over Lily. What happens when feelings spread even further, to the longest extent? Wanna know what I'm talking about? I guarantee you won't expect it.
1. Too Sure

Chapter One : The Relived Summer of 1984

It was chilly outside, which was quite strange for the summer. Travis had desired a walk, and he sighed as he took a step into the breeze. His parents had said it was time for him to call and get his schedule changed, but he denied. He had much more on his mind than scheduling for the next school year. Want to know? Well, it wasn't that hard to guess.

Lily Randall. It was a simple answer, a defined response, a perfect explanation. So if it was so normal for guys to like girls, why was it so complicated for Travis? Over the past few weeks he'd gone head-over-heels for her, fighting for her love in competition with Ray, and yet... his feelings had faded. He had no idea why, either, it just sort of... happened.

Travis scratched the back of his neck, his suede jacket falling a little lower on his shoulders. He'd always been thinner, but so had Ray and Robbie, so it hadn't really been that evident. Lily was small, too, but what Travis had loved about her was the way that she didn't seem to care about what others thought. She could eat a cookie and not worry about what she would weigh the next day, unlike most girls at Roscoe High.

He took a seat in the soft grass, and finally laid his head back, letting it hit the ground hard. Travis looked up at the stars, wishing that summer would end. It'd gone on long enough, hadn't it? Besides, he missed Radio Free Roscoe, the underground radio station that he and his new best friends had started only the previous year. The only person he'd spoken to over the summer had been Lily, and maybe – briefly, you mind – Ray. Robbie was touring Europe, wealthy git.

Travis often came out here, whether it was for star-watching or just to think about the many dilemmas in his life. There were so many pressures on him now – most from Ray. He hated to admit it, his 'friend' often made him feel low, like a piece of dirt. Wait – no. Scratch that. Lower than dirt. A dirt _molecule. _His dirty blonde hair fell into his eyes as he drifted once more into inconstant thought, and Travis couldn't help but wonder if Ray was ever his friend after all. Was he just... there?

This reminded him of a story his Dad had told him not too long ago. He'd been on a walk through one of the many parks where they'd previously lived, and he'd stopped to look up at the stars. Not long after, Travis's mother had walked by. And that was how their relationship had started.

At that moment exactly, Travis's head perked up. "Travis, hey!" It was Ray.

((EXTREMELY short first chapter, but there's going to be bunches of chapters, so it shouldn't really matter. You'll live.))


	2. The Next Plan

It was almost eleven o'clock, and Lily Randall had just awaken from a long night's rest consisting of watching the Brady Bunch for five hours and sleeping for three. Oh, she was just a _bit _tired, but for some reason, Lily couldn't fall asleep. She'd tried countless methods – laying down on the couch for hours at a time, covering every bit of light in her room, even turning on calming music. But nothing worked. So here she was, in the morning of June 30, completely and utterly bored.

She needed to do something. She didn't know if anyone else felt it, but whenever she laid around for a long period of time, it reminded her of the days she stayed home sick, having to eat nothing but warm soup and watching old soap operas all day that she could've been at school. Personally, she hated that feeling.

So she decided – she would invite Travis and Ray to do something. She would've invited Robbie too, but he was in Europe with his family. What they would do, she had no idea. Lily suspected they'd probably go to see a movie or go down to the arcade as usual, but she wanted this to be special, something to set the day apart from the rest. Something they hadn't done for a while. And where would be the best place to look for such entertainment? Why, the local newspaper. The perfect encyclopedia to touring the city.

Horseback riding, beach discounts, play performances, concerts, no... That wasn't quite what she was looking for. The last time their group had gone riding, Ray had gotten bucked off of a horse and had nearly broken his leg. They'd tried going to the beach until Robbie confessed that he was terrified of sharks, and Travis was bound to talk all through any performances. They'd tried going to A Midsummer Night's Dream, but he had started talking about 'how they'd gotten it all wrong!' leaving Lily in misery.

She scanned once more until a certain ad popped out at her.

_**The city carnival is here again! Complete with clowns, rides, and animals, don't miss out – buy your tickets today! **_

The carnival? She had wanted to go to that last year, but they'd ended up going to Hawaii during that time. In fact, Lily had never been to a fair. It seemed like the perfect opportunity. She picked up the phone immediately, dialing Ray's number by heart. She'd known him for several years, and the two were the best of friends. She could call him at four in the morning and know that he wouldn't be mad for being awoken, and the same for her. They had a lasting friendship that was slowly breaking away as Travis and Ray fought for her 'love.' She'd always thought of the competition as friendly, but more recently it seemed like they really held things against each other. That annoyed her greatly. She knew they were friends, of course, but it felt like it was melting away, like they'd been pretending, just to make her feel better.

"...Lily..." Ray's voice sang through the telephone, almost metallic sounding over the machine. She'd been spacing out, and after saying 'hello' had neglected to say anything else to her friend. "Earth to Lily!"

She shook her head, a foolish grin on her face. "Sorry, Ray," she apologized, blinking as she wrote down little doodles reading 'I love Travis' and 'I love Ray' on a piece of paper by the counter. "I've got, uh... a lot on my mind."

"Uh-huh..." Ray said, a bit of his usual laughter in his voice. He'd always been one to make people laugh, and it always brought a smile to Lily's face. It was so difficult to choose between he and Travis, because both were so wonderful in different ways. And she had feelings for both of them – and River Pierce! Oh God, she was in deep water. "So, what'd you call about?"

Lily paused. What was she going to say? Oh, yeah, the carnival. "Well, we haven't really seen each other this summer, and well," she started, brushing a lock of dirty blonde hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear. "There's a carnival starting today. I was wondering if you'd like to come with me... and Travis."

"That's great!" Ray said excitedly, and Lily grinned. "That's, that's great. What time?"

"How does an hour sound? I need some time to fix my hair," Lily commented, already standing up, the cord pressing into her ear. "And I need to call Travis."

She heard a faint 'bye' from Ray before she hung up and walked over to the bathroom, determined to make some sense out of her hair before she left in public. Lily remembered a time when she had gone out to eat and had _completely forgotten _to brush her hair. Robbie had nearly laughed until he couldn't breathe – she was like a giant frizz ball!

Now to plug in the straight iron. It waited silently, heating itself up slowly while Lily hummed a jazz song that she'd heard on the radio. It had a nice flowing tune, and she sensed that it could've been a ballad in someone else's eyes... or ears, if that fit better. "When I'm with you, my eyes just start to shine, when I miss you, in my heart I know you're mine..." It was a lovely song.

"Ouch!" She said, rinsing her finger under cold water. She'd burnt her finger when she'd tried to see if the straight iron was even _on. _God, how stupid could she get?

After successfully straightening her hair, she applied her makeup, but smeared her mascara horribly as the phone rang, scaring her. _Ring! Ring! _She jumped, her breath harsh, and she felt an embarrassed smile enter her lips. "Hello?" Lily asked, picking up the telephone. "This is the Randall residence."

"Hello, Miss Shady," a voice said over the line, and Lily felt her heart jump. Travis. "Pronto said you called."

She grinned and fixed her eye makeup as fast as she could, multitasking. "Yeah, about that," she started, wiping away the smears and collapsing onto a sofa in the living room. "We should go to the carnival. It's... it's today, you know."

Why was she so nervous? What was she hiding?

She heard Travis chuckle, and that put a smile on her face. Today was going to be awesome.

((I guarantee you this IS NOT going to be a Travis/Lily. In fact, it's not even a Ray/Lily. Just wait and see. Reviews, please!))


	3. The First Signs

Balloons, pony rides, and obese people walking around with grins on their faces. That was my definition of a carnival. Not the best place, but definitely better than being stuck at home, working on leftover homework that I would still have two days to complete. Pathetic? Yeah, I agree. My name? Ray Brennan. My profession? Comedian in training.

Actually, I don't even have training – so scratch that last bit. I'm a comedian that really can't act. Good enough explanation for you? I'd hope so. Well, today I'm being punished. Taken to a carnival with none other than Lily Randall and Travis Strong. Not to say they're bad people, I just... it's hard to get along with both of them together. Travis is always watching Lily with his googly eyes, and Lily flirts, completely ignoring me. Heh, what a great inspiration.

I didn't really do anything this morning. Sat, got online, talked to a few people. Slept again, ate, did my 'bodily needs.' Story of my life. Dramatic? Oh, yes. Why, I have to battle my own mind just to stop myself from pressing 'snooze' in the mornings before school. My life is quite dramatic enough for my liking, thanks.

But that didn't stop my friends from making everything worse. See, it all started with Lily. Lily Randall, Shady Lane, Miss Lily, whatever you want to call her. My best friend of seven years... and my crush of four. Embarrassing? You bet.

I was more than happy to have received a phone call from the girl I've so often watched from afar... meaning the cafeteria. I could care less if she liked me back – but when she likes _Travis, _it gets personal. I mean, the guy just showed up practically out of nowhere! We're friends and like to have a little competition, but he's kind of a queer, if you get what I mean...

This is kind of pathetic. _He's _the queer? I'm more of a queer than he is, with my Abercrombie t-shirts and blue jeans... God... But at least I'm not gay. That's a relief. If I were gay, I wouldn't have these feelings about Lily.

So now, we were at the front gate of the carnival. Tickets cost seven dollars – how dumb is that? That's too expensive for a cheap fair that only has petting zoos and bumper cars! _Stupid _economy. Stupid.

Lily looked a bit cold, and I kind of wondered if I should offer her my sweatshirt. It probably smelled bad, but would that matter? I thought for a moment, debating on my decision, before deciding against it. I didn't need her to smell my B.O. from playing basketball the night before. Did I mention that I have absolutely _no _hand-eye coordination? Yeah, I kind of just discovered that...

Well, it looked like I thought too late. No sooner had I decided my decision that Travis took off his prissy jean jacket and offered it to Lily, where she gladly took it. God, I'm dumb.

The woman at the ticket counter seemed oddly familiar, but it was as she turned her head that I finally discovered who it was. "Kim?!" I asked, not at all expecting to see someone such as she. She'd always been the great enemy of RFR, trying to cancel the show. "Kim Carlisle?!"

She gave me a sickening smile that seemed somewhat welcoming, as if she'd recognized something in me. "If it isn't our own Ray Brennan and his little friends," she said quietly, glaring at us as Lily tried to hand her the money. The frizzy haired girl refused. Not that Kim knew who hosted RFR, but Ray had always wondered why no one could recognize their voices. They weren't _that _unpopular!

At least, _he _wasn't.

"Just take the money, Kim," Travis warned her, rolling his eyes. "Is it really that difficult?"

Well, as we walked away, I could feel her glare sizzling on our backs like the hamburgers on my dad's barbeque grill. Heh, that's my try on a simile. Not too good, eh? "So, where to first?" I asked, brushing away my black hair. It always fell in my eyes, and it's the most annoying thing in the world, trust me on that... "Haunted house? Bumper cars? Roller coaster?"

If you can't tell, I'm definitely in it for the rides. Not big rides, though. Those scary the living daylights out of me, although I have yet to tell anyone that. And it better stay that way too, you hear? Heh. As if you'd be able to tell anyone. This is my mind. I'm not psychic.

"I was thinking the Ferris wheel," Lily said, that loving grin on her face. Ironically, I didn't feel that horrible dancing feeling in my stomach anymore. It was just... normal. Like how it used to be before I started to like her. Hmm. Maybe it was something I'd eaten. "It's bound to have a lovely view this time of day."

I nodded, not too keen on the heights, but then again, I'd do anything for Lily. Always and forever. God, that sounds so cheesy! "Sure, whatever you want," I reasoned, looking over at Travis for help. I hated heights even more than I hated upside-down rides. I'd probably puke all over Travis's new jacket. Oh, what a pity. Heh.

Travis, however, noticed nothing and kept walking.

Before I knew it, we were on the Ferris wheel, and the sleazy employee was lowering the bar on our section. I really wanted to tell him to stop, but... I couldn't. Soon enough, we were going up into the air. Holy crap, I thought I was going to puke, honestly. I kept staring down at the floor, determined not to look at anything else.

I could sense Travis and Lily giving me strange looks, but I didn't care. It was way too scary for my liking.

"Ray, are you okay?" I heard Lily say, and her hand was on my back. Oh, it felt wonderful. The butterflies were back, and her soft hands were patting my shoulder comfortingly. I turned to smile at her, but nearly jumped when I looked at whose hand was _really _on my back. Travis.

But do you want to know what's really wrong? The butterflies were _still there. _God, this couldn't be happening! I must've still thought it was Lily. Yes, that was it. Lily. Just think about Lily.

But... it was Travis!

I moved away, swallowing. Finally, I took my seat on the opposite side of Lily, every so often looking back at Travis to make sure that what just happened was my imagination. It had to be. It just... it had to be.

((Read and review, please.))


	4. You Aren't Welcome Here

((A/N: I realize that a lot of you have mixed opinions, but hey, I needed something different. Every story out there right now is Ray and Lily or Travis and Lily. I needed change, something unique that people would remember. I've already got a Rily, but really, Lily doesn't need to be hooked up constantly. Other things can happen, and homosexuality is one of them. It was just an idea I had, one that I thought could get me somewhere in my writing. If you have a problem with it, that's fine, but you don't need to complain about it by saying 'don't profane RFR with this.' Since when are gays considered profanity? I don't know about anyone else, but I think that's really unjust to say. I hope you like the story, and if not... well, that sucks for you, because most people should be able to see the beauty in it. Thanks for reading! grins))

So, Travis had been having a very strange day so far. They'd only ridden one ride – one _measly _ride, and Ray had completely freaked out on he and Ray! What happened in his mind, he had no idea. Of course, he knew by now that Ray had a little fear of heights, but nothing that extravagant, right?

Maybe not. It _was _Ray, after all. He was a little weird all by himself.

"I have to use the bathroom," he said a bit quietly, a secret message to Ray. Travis needed to talk to him about what the hell was wrong with him, because that boy was being more strange than... than anyone he knew. Ray, however, was off in his own little dreamland, humming to himself.

Travis had to nudge him hard in the side to get his attention. Raising his eyebrows, it was a simple signal that read quite clearly, 'meet me in the men's room.'

He walked over and hid in one of the stalls near the open door, listening to the remainder of the conversation between Ray and Lily. If Ray didn't understand now, there was no hope left for him.

"Look, I've, uh, got to go for a minute... I think I have to puke," he heard Ray say, putting a grin onto his face. Travis could just picture Ray putting on an act for that. Wait, why was he smiling about... Ugh, about _Ray Brennan?! _

That thought was over in seconds. Thank God.

"Okay, I'll just wait out here, I guess..." Lily said, her voice chiming like bells in the wind. Travis still loved her voice, it put butterflies in his stomach, and yet he went unnoticed. She couldn't honestly have feelings for Ray, could she? Or River?

Or... God forbid... Robbie.

Travis grinned. Like _that _would ever happen. Robbie was as far away from Lily as black was from white. It would never work out – besides, Robbie appeared to be seeing someone else, even if he wouldn't reveal who that was. Hmm.

"What do you want?" Ray said into his ear, causing Travis to jump. "I think I'll have a bruise on my side now, thanks a lot."

Sarcasm. Oh, when did it stop?

"What is _with _you today?" Travis asked, his eyebrows narrowed dangerously. "You acted like a complete freak on the Ferris wheel!"

"I... I don't like heights," Ray confessed, and Travis rolled his eyes.

"Oh come _on, _it was only twenty feet high!" It was true. The carnival's Ferris wheel was one of the smallest that Travis had ever seen, even in every place he'd lived.

Ray was quiet for a few minutes, and Travis sighed, quite annoyed. He watched as the boy opposite him ruffled his hair and sat down on the counter, the reflection of the back of Ray's head in the mirror. Travis had no idea what he could possibly be so secretive about, but most likely it had something to do with Lily.

"_What?!" _ Travis demanded at last, desperate to know. He hated being held on the edge, it felt like he was out of the loop with himself. Karma.

"I – Well, you were being like..." Ray started, obviously trying to pick out the right words. "You put your hand... on my... you put your _hand _on my back!"

Travis laughed. He actually laughed. All of this because Ray thought he was _gay?! _It was ridiculous. "Is that all?" He asked, not able to believe all of this. As if he would be homosexual, of all people... "I'm allowed to do that, you know. We're friends..."

Or so he thought...

"Well, most of my _normal _friends don't do... ugh... stuff like that!" Ray gasped, and Travis shook his head in disbelief. What was he, an alien?!

"Oh, so now I'm not _normal?" _ He replied in pure anger and disappointment. Lily was probably getting worried about them by now, but he didn't care. "I hate to break it to you, but you're not the average person either. Everyone's different, no matter how you look at it."

Ray rolled his eyes, and Travis didn't even want to know what he was thinking. Travis! Himself! A homosexual! Yeah right. Just... no. "We may be different, but some are a bit more _different _than others, if you get what I mean..."

That was it. Travis's eyes grew to a large extent, and his eyebrows were cringed darkly. Ray was really getting on his nerves now, and if he didn't stop... Well, Travis could live without him. "I'm not _gay!" _ Travis yelled, pushing Ray against the bathroom stall, within inches from his face. "Maybe you are, but I'm straight, okay?! I think about Lily every second of every day, she's never out of my mind!"

It was like one of their friendly competitions, only... turned upside-down. "I'm not gay either!" Ray shouted, and Travis felt his breath on his face. It was cool and smelled of mint and basil. Wait – why was he even noticing that?! "I just... I just wanted to see if you were!"

Travis had had enough. He stepped back and shook his head, swallowing in disbelief. "You know what? I don't care. I don't care if you think I'm homosexual, I don't care what weird ideas you have in your head, and most of all? I don't care if you don't have feelings for Lily anymore, because I know that now I can cut you out of the picture."

He walked to the door, but looked back for a second. Travis... he didn't want to go. What was going on? "But first," he started, and it was as if he were actually watching a movie, playing a role, rather than being there and speaking for himself. What was he saying? "You tell _me _if this feels like a kiss you'd get from a gay guy."

What... what was he saying?! What was going on?! He felt himself walking toward an awestruck Ray, and he couldn't control his legs, they just kept walking forward. Houston, we have a problem! He had to stop this thing! Overload! Overload!

They were inches apart, and Travis felt his lips fall onto Ray's. They were a bit chapped, as one might expect his to be, unlike Travis's – soft and smooth. He wanted to pull away, but he was unable to move. His entire body had gone numb.

Wait... did this mean...? Oh God.

((This story WILL continue. I promise. I'll probably have Lily become kind of suspicious and have her find out somehow, so we'll just have to see what happens, now shall we? Thanks for reading, reviews are welcome – but no flames, please.))


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